Windstar Outlines Sailings through May 2023 and Produces New Voyage Planner

Fresh Itineraries, Transformed Ships, and Updated Health & Safety Protocols

Seattle, WA, January 26, 2021 – Cruise lines have had to update their deployment plans several times over the past year. To provide clarity on voyage plans, small ship cruise line Windstar Cruises has released a new printed voyage planner brochure with nearly 200 pages of information detailing offerings from when its first yacht will set sail on May 1, 2021 through May, 2023. 

“This beautiful coffee-table publication is meant to educate and inspire people about Windstar and the 180 degrees from ordinary experience we have to offer,” says Windstar Cruises’ President Chris Prelog. “In 2021 through 2023, we have a mix of long-time favorites and fresh new itineraries, recently transformed yachts and exciting new cruise tours. We have planned further out so people can book early.” 

Windstar realized that now, more than ever, travelers are looking even further ahead to plan their next cruise vacation. That’s why the new Voyage Collection brochure details sailings through May of 2023, giving travelers a chance to plan ahead with a comprehensive reference in hand. The brochure will begin to land in mailboxes this week, and those interested in requesting a copy or viewing a digital version can access it here: https://www.windstarcruises.com/request-a-brochure/.  

The Windstar Voyage Collection 2021-2023 Includes the Following News and Updates 

New Yachts 

Its much-anticipated transformation of three Star Plus Class ships (with new restaurants, suite choices, and environmental improvements) will come to fruition in 2021 and will be a major development for the line, offering a range of upgraded experiences, more deck space and alfresco dining and a guest capacity of 312 per yacht.  

New Itineraries by Region 

Alaska 

• Windstar sails in Alaska from late spring through summer. Voyages are scheduled beginning in 2022 aboard the newly transformed all-suite Star Breeze.

• In 2022, a new, shorter seven-day Scenic Alaska cruise will feature coastal wilderness cruising along the Canadian Inside Passage.

Asia

• Windstar will sail in Southeast Asia on limited voyages in late 2021/early 2022 and will return to comprehensive sailings in Asia with five brand-new itineraries beginning the fall of 2022.

• In 2022, Island Hopping through Japan and Windstar Crew Hometowns: Philippines & Indonesia are new and noteworthy standouts.

Australia & New Zealand (New Destination) 

• In 2022, Windstar will debut its first-ever comprehensive itineraries to Australia & New Zealand aboard the newly transformed Star Breeze, visiting small, rarely visited ports of call like Middle Percy Island and Thursday Island. Overnights in Brisbane, Port Douglas, and Sydney, plus a late-night departure in Melbourne are other highlights. Pick from eight itineraries in the region.

Canada & New England

• Windstar sails in Canada & New England in the fall aboard the newly transformed Star Pride.

• In 2021, a new Iceland to Montreal itinerary will focus heavily on Greenland, including several days of scenic fjord cruising, and a revamped New York to San Juan sailing is much more than a “repositioning cruise” with two overnight stops in Bermuda, plus a day in St. Kitts and St. Bart’s.

• In 2022, a new Boston to San Juan offering includes warm Bermuda beaches on the journey.

Caribbean & Central America

• Windstar sails in the Caribbean from late fall to spring, but in 2021, Windstar will also sail its waters throughout the summer season aboard Star Breeze.

• In 2021, Windstar will make first-time visits to Miami and Key West in December.

• In 2022, Windstar will offer new sailings in Mexico, on both the East and West coasts, including an option from Cozumel to St. Maarten with rare Windstar visits to Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and tiny Cayman Brac.

• In 2023, the new Spanish Treasures via the Panama Canal starts on the Pacific side of the canal before heading to Panama’s Bocas del Toro and San Blas Islands, Cartagena/Santa Marta in Colombia, and ending in Aruba.

Mediterranean & the Holy Lands 

• In 2021, Windstar returns after a several year absence to Ashdod and Haifa in Israel; Alexandria and Port Said in Egypt (including Cairo and the Pyramids); and Istanbul, with an overnight stay. Windstar will also make inaugural visits to Odessa, Nessebar, Bucharest, Sochi, Batumi, and Sinop on its new Black Sea voyage. There are also new cruise tours to the Douro Valley, Lake Como, and Meteora.

• 2022 brings a variety of new sailings in the region including Island Gems of Spain & Portugal, with stops in the Canary Islands and Madeira, and a new eight-day sailing along the coastlines of Greece, Cyprus, and Israel. There is also a new Athens to Istanbul itinerary (including a tight squeeze through the small-ship-only Corinth Canal) with a first-time port in Turkey’s Çanakkale.

Northern Europe 

• Windstar sails in Northern Europe in the summer and early fall, including Scandinavia and the Baltic, Europe’s West Coast, and the British Isles aboard the newly transformed Star Legend and Star Pride.

• In 2021, the popular Around Iceland itinerary returns with five sail dates, as well as a new option to be experienced as a cruise tour. Other new offerings in the region in 2021 include Norway’s Famous Fjords and Scandinavian Capitals & Fjords, which combines iconic Northern capitals with a handful of smaller, less-visited ports.

• In 2022, Windstar’s new Impressionist France brings a chance to travel from Bordeaux to Amsterdam with an overnight in St-Malo and scenic cruising on the Seine River, plus first-ever Windstar stops in Caen and Rouen (an overnight as well). A comprehensive journey around Spain is another highlight.

South Pacific 

• Windstar maintains a year-round presence in Tahiti and will resume sailings in May of 2021.

• In September of 2021, Star Breeze will begin sailing in Tahiti (through March of 2022), giving guests a unique chance to sail on the larger, all-suite, newly transformed yacht in this destination for a limited engagement.

• In 2021, Windstar’s Wind Spirit will sail from Tahiti to Australia, stopping at the small island nation of Vanuatu and tiny Pantara Island at the outer fringes of New Caledonia, among other off-the-beaten-path South Pacific islands.

U.S. West Coast 

• Windstar sails the West Coast of the U.S. (and Mexico) in the spring and fall. Sailings will resume there in 2022.

• In 2022, Windstar debuts several brand-new itineraries, including Baja Blue Water & Treasures on the Sea of Cortez and a West Coast Epicurean Extravaganza with new stops in Victoria and Santa Barbara.

New Policies and Procedures 

Windstar’s updated Travel Assurance Booking Policy allows cancellation up to 48 hours prior to departure on 2021 cruises.

Prelog says the company knows health and safety is a top concern for travelers. Windstar consulted with the epidemiology department at the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Center and developed a new Beyond Ordinary Care program, which is a multi-layered strategy with key hospital-grade elements: HEPA filters and UV-C ultraviolet germicidal irradiation to filter and disinfect the air, plus electrostatic sprayers to sanitize all surfaces throughout the yacht. The company hopes this extra effort to provide a safer environment on board is giving consumers (both avid cruisers and new ones) the confidence to book. 

For updated information, reservations, and itineraries, visit www.windstarcruises.com.

SYCAMORE PARTNERS ANNOUNCES PLANS TO ADD FOURTH SHIP TO AZAMARA® FLEET

NEW YORK, January 25, 2021 – Sycamore Partners, a leading private equity firm, today announced plans for Azamara, the upmarket, boutique cruise line dedicated to Destination Immersion® experiences, to add a sister ship to the current fleet of Azamara Journey, Azamara Quest and Azamara Pursuit. Following a full-ship renovation, the fourth ship is scheduled to sail for its inaugural season in Europe in 2022.  

This news follows an announcement earlier this month that Sycamore Partners has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Azamara, presently under the portfolio of Royal Caribbean Group. The deal is expected to close in Q1 of this year. 

“The addition of this ship is an important milestone and reflects Sycamore Partners’ commitment to supporting Azamara in its next phase of growth,” said Stefan Kaluzny, Managing Director of Sycamore Partners. “Expanding the fleet will allow Azamara to continue to serve loyal customers, as well as those new to the brand, with more unique Destination Immersion® programming and itineraries.” 

The additional ship, which will be named at a later date, is comparable in size to Azamara Pursuit, Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest, expanding the fleet’s overall capacity by 33 percent. With this ship, guests will have the opportunity to visit unique, smaller ports and have a more intimate experience. Together, the four ships will support Azamara’s commitment to enrich immersion around the world. 

“We are thrilled to be expanding our fleet with a fourth ship, allowing us to visit even more regions of the world and better serve our guests,” said Carol Cabezas, President of Azamara. “We look forward to launching even more unique and immersive itineraries and feel this is just the beginning of an exciting growth phase for Azamara.” 

Prior to launch, the fourth ship will undergo an extensive refurbishment to match its sister ships and Azamara’s upmarket position, as well as offer unique onboard elements. These updates will be similar to the renovations introduced most recently on Azamara Pursuit, bringing guests the experience of a boutique hotel at sea. 

Information about deployment and itineraries for the newest ship will be available in due course.  

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE RELEASES ADDITIONAL PLANS ON FLEET DEPLOYMENT

MIAMI, Jan. 25, 2021 – Carnival Cruise Line today released plans for additional ship deployments as it continues to refine its phased in approach to a return to guest operations for 2021, resulting in some ship-specific cruise cancellations and movements.  Those plans include:

• Related to already-announced dry dock plans for Carnival Magic, Carnival Paradise and Carnival Valor, those ships’ return to operations will be delayed until November 2021. Consequently, voyages on Carnival Magic from Norfolk (embarkations from Sept. 29-Oct. 30), Carnival Paradise from Tampa (embarkations from June 5-Oct. 28) and Carnival Valor from New Orleans (embarkations from Sept. 16-Oct. 28) have been cancelled.

• Carnival Miracle’s planned seasonal service from San Diego has been suspended until further notice, and sailings out of San Diego that were available for sale through April 2023 have been cancelled, with the exception of seven voyages to Hawaii, which will move to Long Beach.Carnival Radiance’s dry dock and transformation has been moved to September, with a planned arrival to Long Beach in November 2021.

• With Carnival Miracle’s reposition to Long Beach, the ship will assume the three- and four-day itineraries for Carnival Radiance from May 3-Nov. 1, 2021 as well as the seven Hawaii Carnival Journeys referenced above. In addition, Carnival Miracle will launch a new program of four- and five-day cruises to Mexico during the winter season, beginning November 2021 and continuing through April 2023.

Carnival is advising guests and travel agents of these changes.  Where possible, West Coast guests are being accommodated in a transfer to Carnival Miracle (from Carnival Radiance), or the retention of their Hawaiian itinerary via a Long Beach embarkation instead.  With this change, Carnival will eventually run a three-ship operation from its port facility at Long Beach:  Carnival Panorama sailing seven-day Mexican Riviera itineraries and Carnival Radiance operating three- and four-day  itineraries year-round, with Carnival Miracle operating four- and five-day Mexico and 14-day Hawaii itineraries during the winter.

“Like so much about this current global situation, we are adapting our plans as circumstances evolve and we are able to confirm alternatives.  We are disappointed that our return to seasonal ports like Norfolk and San Diego has been impacted and appreciate the support of those port partners and communities.  The support of our guests, travel agents, ports and business partners has truly been overwhelming as we work through this situation,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

MSC GRANDIOSA RESUMED SERVICE YESTERDAY AS PLANNED DEPARTING FROM GENOA FOR 7-NIGHT ITINERARIES IN THE WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN.

MSC Cruises' rigorous health and safety protocol makes these voyages one of the safest vacation options thanks to the safe environment on board for guests and crew

Geneva, Switzerland (January 25, 2021) — MSC Grandiosa, MSC Cruises’ flagship, departed last night from the port of Genoa in Italy to resume as planned regular 7-night cruises in the Mediterranean after a short pause of operations during the holiday period. The ship had temporarily suspended sailings as a result of the Italian decree that restricted movement within the country.

MSC Grandiosa first welcomed guests back on board in August 2020 and feedback from the more than 30,000 guests who have sailed so far on board has been extremely positive, so much so that some guests have been choosing to extend their stay on board by one or more weeks. The Company’s health and safety protocol helped to set the standard for the industry, making embarking on a cruise aboard an MSC Cruises ship one of the safest ways to vacation.

The protocol, which is unique in the hospitality industry and has been approved by national authorities in Italy, Greece and Malta, is being used as the basis to inform and support plans to restart cruising in other parts of the world. Prior to embarkation, all guests pass through a series of health checks, including COVID-19 testing for all guests and crew, as part of MSC Cruises comprehensive health and safety protocol, devised by the Company with the support of international experts and approved by the relevant authorities in the countries visited by MSC Cruises ships currently or due to be at sea. The health and safety measures also include a dedicated response plan that can be activated in collaboration with the authorities.

MSC Cruises' health and safety protocol has been designed to respond to the situation ashore even while it evolves and since November last year, some of the measures were enhanced including the introduction of mid-cruise testing for guests and weekly testing for crew as well as further enhanced hygiene and sanitation measures and the. Everyone on board observes social distancing as well as wearing masks in public areas, and the guest technology has been leveraged to facilitate onboard contact tracing. To preserve a safe environment on board the ship, guests only go ashore as part of protected shore excursions so that guests can be protected even while ashore by measures similar to those on board.

The Company's flagship, MSC Grandiosa, launched in November 2019 and offers a wide range of experiences for guests. The iconic Mediterranean-style interior promenade is the social hub of the ship, topped by an LED sky screen that changes scenery at every hour of the day and night. Guests can enjoy a wide range of international dining, including five specialty restaurants and for those looking for a more exclusive experience, the MSC Yacht Club — MSC Cruises’ ship within a ship concept — offers a range of private facilities including a private pool, lounge and restaurant as well as 24-hour a day butler and concierge service.  During their cruise, guests can relax with total peace of mind and safely enjoy a range of different activities, all adapted to meet the current health and safety measures, while still allowing to guests to have a memorable and rich experience.

To find out more about MSC Grandiosa visit here

To find out more about the health and safety measures on board visit here

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE NOTIFIES GUESTS OF CRUISE CANCELLATIONS

MIAMI, Jan. 22, 2021 – Carnival Cruise Line is notifying guests of additional cruise cancellations, extending its pause in U.S. departures through April 30, 2021, and cancelling Australian operations through May 19, 2021. 

In addition, Carnival has cancelled the European itineraries for Carnival Legend which were to begin this May through Oct. 31, 2021, and moved the start date for Mardi Gras from Port Canaveral, with the first cruise now set for May 29, 2021.

Booked guests and travel agents are being notified directly of the cancellations and their options for a generous future cruise credit and onboard credit package, or a full refund.

“Our guests and travel agent partners continue to express their loyalty to Carnival and their desire to get back on our ships as soon as they can, and we are heartened by the booking demand and activity we continue to see.  We are certainly committed to welcoming them back as quickly as possible, but unfortunately we have determined it’s going to take a while longer, and the situation in Europe will also impact Mardi Gras’ departure to the U.S., and Carnival Legend’s itineraries in Europe,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

ATLAS OCEAN VOYAGES NAMED NEW SUPPLIER BY ENSEMBLE TRAVEL GROUP

Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Jan. 21, 2021 -- Atlas Ocean Voyages, the new luxe-adventure cruise brand, is proud to announce its new partnership with Ensemble Travel Group, a consortia of more than 700 top tier independent travel agencies in the U.S. and Canada.

“Atlas Ocean Voyages is happy to be a preferred supplier of Ensemble Travel Group,” said Brandon Townsley, Vice President of Sales and Trade Partnerships for Atlas Ocean Voyages. “Atlas’ once-in-a-lifetime experiences provide Ensemble’s exceptional travel advisors a unique, all-inclusive luxury product to recommend to their clients. Our valued travel advisor partners will be their clients’ heroes when they recommend an Atlas expedition to remote and bucket-list destinations for their highly anticipated return-to-cruise.

“As the industry looks forward to the restart of travel and cruising in particular, we are truly thrilled to be working with such an innovative and fresh new brand,” said David Harris, CEO of Ensemble Travel Group. “Our advisors are seeing a lot of pent-up demand for this kind of luxury adventure travel and we anticipate there will be tremendous interest in the destinations and on-board experience that Atlas will offer.”

Taking bucket list travel to new levels of discovery, Atlas will be launching service in July 2021 with World Navigator. The ship’s inaugural-season itineraries include trips to Israel, Egypt, as well as the Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea. Additional destinations include the Caribbean and South America, as well as Antarctica, in winter 2021/22. World Navigator will also introduce the first ever L’OCCITANE luxury spa at sea. In addition, it is committed to employing the latest sustainability technology to help preserve the waters in which they sail in for future generations to enjoy.

Guests may choose among 98 suites and staterooms, all with an ocean view and most with a private veranda. Atlas Ocean Voyages’ signature All Inclusive All the Way provides guests a complete, seamless and worry-free experience by including complimentary round-trip air travel, shore excursion at every port, prepaid gratuities, polar parkas, emergency medical evacuation insurance, premium wine and spirits, international beers and coffees, Wi-Fi, L’OCCITANE bath amenities, and regionally inspired gourmet dining. In every stateroom, guests enjoy binoculars to use on board, en suite coffee, tea and personalized bar service, and butler service in suites.

Atlas’ Plan With Confidence flexible travel policy provides travelers a 100 percent refund of deposited funds up to 91 days prior to sailing. Plus, they can change their reservation as many times as they want, up to 15 days before their voyages’ sail date. They can even change their destination and sail with Atlas in another part of the world or choose to cancel at least 15 days or more prior to the departure date and be assured of a 100 percent future cruise credit.

For more information about Atlas Ocean Voyages and to book clients on a luxe-adventure journey, travel advisors are invited to call 1-844-44-ATLAS (1-844-442-8527) and visit www.AtlasOceanvoyages.com, where they can also register to be an Atlas Ocean Voyages Advisor.

For more information on Ensemble Travel Group, visit www.ensembletravel.com.